It has been long believed in various Asian philosophies that the way a person breathes affects the person's emotional and/or physiological state, and conversely, that breathing in a certain way can change the person's state. It is usually difficult for people to become aware of the various characteristics of their breathing, and gaining such awareness often requires years of practice. Thus, there is a need to enable monitoring of a person's breathing characteristics in an easy way, which does not require special expertise on the person's part.